Brand New Blog!

So here I am ready to make post number one on my bright and shiny new blog.  Mind you, I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'll be writing about.  I'm a mere baby in cyberspace so I don't have any products to review, giveaways to host (hopefully I'll figure that part out soon!) or incredible coupon deals to share.  Why would anyone want to read what I have to say?!  Well, I'm hoping that all of that other cool stuff will come in time but, until then, perhaps something I have to say will strike a chord with someone out there and you'll want to stay tuned for the rest.

Let me start by introducing myself.  My name is Jennifer, Jen or Mommy to most.  I have been married to, arguably, the most wonderful man in the universe (sorry girls, I got him ;)) for 22 years.  I don't know when that happened!  I remember leaving the church on our wedding day and, all of a sudden here we are, six kids and 22 years later.  I know a bunch of stuff happened, but it's kind of a blur.  Maybe I can touch on the highlights.

As I mentioned, I have six children.  Aside from my fortunate choice of spouse, this represents the pinnacle of my achievements.  My children range in age from 6 to 19.  There is nothing that matters more to me than my family, period. 

We are Roman Catholic and we home school.  Those facts take care of numbers two and three on my list.  These are decisions that we made because we believed them to be the best options for our family.  I will not judge people that have made different choices for their families and I don't expect to be criticized for mine.

My medical history is long and complicated and the only reason I mention it here is because it has played such a prominent role in molding me into the person I've become.  Notably, that person is a cancer survivor.  I was diagnosed with breast and thyroid cancer late in 2008.  I am now a three-and-a-half year survivor of the scourge all too many of us have fallen victim to.  My heart goes out to families dealing with the many faces that the disease has.  The memories and reality of the horror of that time will never be anything but fresh in my mind.

I'm currently battling issues with my weight that have plagued me throughout my life.  I underwent surgery (gastric bypass) to try and combat this problem, which allowed me to lose about 150 pounds.  Unfortunately, old habits die hard, especially when combined with chronic sickness and I now find myself having gained about half of that weight back.  No one ever said it was going to be easy.

I've got a form of arthritis in my knees, which ironically occurs commonly in athletes.  Ironically, because as I like to say, I wouldn't run unless I happened to be on fire.  I'm not a stranger to pain.

What else?  Let's see, I'm a college-educated, stay-at-home mom (at least for the time being) who knows what it is to try and maintain a job and a family at the same time, having worked for a mutual fund company for 17 years before I got sick.  I'm an amateur ghost hunter and am fascinated by the paranormal.  I have the horrible habit of staying up way too late, as evidenced by the title of this blog.  I obsess over entering contests.  I love animals, especially cats.  My family has raised buffalo, llamas, and cows, albeit all on small scales.  I'm "into" more crafts than I have time for, and now, I'm a blogger (I guess) although that remains to be seen.

I'm sure more will present itself as time marches on.  It is my intention that this space that I am creating will be the one place that I can freely speak my mind, honestly, if not gently.  I hope that this blog will take root and blossom into something that can be beneficial to someone, at least serving as a documented record of life, as I know it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I know that time is an all-too-precious commodity and I'm humbled that you gave some of it to me.